RESTAURANTS : Grappa Bursts on the Newport Beach Culinary Scene With Some Gusto

Grappa is a type of Italian brandy distilled from the grape remnants left after a wine pressing. It’s also the name of a smart new Italian restaurant on the beachfront in Newport.

You may remember Grappa as Zeppa, and the new owner hasn’t changed much about the place. It still retains its sleek, handsome Tuscan decor with plenty of blacks and grays; its wispy, trompe l’oeil ceiling painted sky blue and white; and its tile floor that wouldn’t seem out of place in a Florentine villa. The room is elegant and comfortable, with only one flaw--an often strident noise level.

Grappa certainly has blasted onto the scene impressively. The two times I ate there the place was overbooked. The owner was forced to stall us repeatedly while assuring us that our table was “only minutes” from being ready. We loitered on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant almost a half-hour one Saturday night until our table cleared.

The good news is that the dinner proved to be worth the wait. Current owner Vincenzo Gentile hasn’t changed former owner Mark Zigner’s original concept much, either: this remains a place for simple, rustic Italian dishes. (Zigner, by the way, is relocating Zeppa to Fashion Island.)

The only thing I would avoid, ironically, would be any dish with the word grappa in the name (e.g., scampi alla grappa , penne alla grappa ). Grappa has a syrupy flavor and a slightly bitter aftertaste.

Beyond the high-concept attempts, the food is uniformly excellent. No surprises, these are dishes you can eat every day, dishes you want to eat every day. Most are surprisingly light and deftly prepared.

The house bread, a terrific, flying saucer-shaped round of raised dough baked in the restaurant’s brick pizza oven, is dense, with steamy butter and Parmesan lathered on top. It’s deceptively filling. If you lack discipline this bread may prevent you from making it through the salad course.

I recommend starting with the fried calamari alle due salse , a basket of greaseless, crispy fried squid with two sauces--a light garlic sauce and a coarse, flavorful marinara sauce. It’s terrific. Piatto rustico is a plate of wonderfully fresh poached bufala mozzarella, roasted green and yellow peppers, and grilled Japanese eggplant.

Insalata primaverile is similar to piatto rustico ; lettuce and goat cheese substitute for the bufala mozzarella. Insalata della casa , the house salad, is a version of the chopped salad originated at Jean Leon’s La Scala and it’s a considerable improvement. This salad is crisp and refreshing, not at all soggy, and is served with minced chicken.

Of the pastas, only agnolotti , half moon-shaped pillows of dough stuffed with spinach and ricotta, are made on the premises. They’re fabulous. But I wasn’t impressed with capelli d’angelo , angel hair pasta with fresh tomatoes, basil, and sweet garlic. The noodles were properly chewy but the garlic tasted slightly burned. Fettuccine all’arrabbiata had a fiery, elusive appeal.

Because appetizers and pastas are so satisfying in Northern Italian restaurants, I always think of main courses as an afterthought. But at Grappa, they deserve consideration. There is an excellent veal chop, nodino alla griglia , grilled with aromatic herbs--the scent of rosemary was as sweet as it would have been on a back road in Lombardy. Petti di pollo are chicken breasts marinated in olive oil and lemon, lightly grilled, then surrounded by sauteed vegetables. A daily selection of fresh fish is treated with similar wisdom.

Desserts too are not without their charms. You will find a fine, house-made fruit tart with papaya and strawberry, good ice creams and a rich semifreddo .

People may linger over their espressos, but it isn’t because of the taste. The coffee I drank was bitter and didn’t merit a second sip. Of course, if you want a grappa after dinner, you’ve come to the right place.

Grappa is moderately expensive. Antipasto are $6.25 to $9.50. Salads are $5.50 to $8.50. Pasta dishes are $11.95 to $14.50. Entrees are $15.50 to $22.75. Service is nimble and engaging.

GRAPPA

2304 W. Ocean Front, Newport Beach

(714) 675-1930.

Open for dinner Tuesday through Thursday 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday through Sunday 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

American Express, MasterCard and Visa accepted.